Good Morning - Friday, September 16, 2005

Good Morning! 

 

Hope that everyone can make class this Sunday.  I will be able to be there.  Perhaps, in addition to the lesson, we can have some conversation about our next study.

 

The new unit for this week is  Unit 20, The Way to Heaven   

 

Focus Scriptures for the Week:  

 

Hebrews 11:16   

 

They desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God; indeed, he has prepared a city for them.

 

John 12:26

 

Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also.  Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.

 

Today's Scriptures:  Luke 10:25-37, Romans 2:1-11, Romans 5:12-21

 

Today's Discussion: 

 

--  three very different passages to end the week.

 

-- the passage from Luke is the Good Samaritan story.  In the context of our lesson this week, there are two quick points to be made about this passage.  One is to note the summary of the law in the setup to the story -- Love God with all your heart, mind and soul, and love your neighbor as yourself -- the same summary that Jesus gave elsewhere in the gospels.  The second is from the story itself -- the idea that it's not who you are, but what you do, that matters and the idea of how far we are expected to go.  The person who is celebrated in the story -- the Samaritan -- would have been someone that a Jew of Jesus' time would have had no respect for as a person, but here in this story he is going above and beyond to care for his fellow man.  I don't know how to get there from here, but there is, in my mind, some connection with this story and the idea of the narrow way that we had yesterday.  The Samaritan was walking the narrow way, doing what others would not do, and going further than others would not go.

 

-- the first Romans passage, in the context of this lesson, presents mostly the opposite of the way to heaven -- it talks about the two paths that people can take in their lives -- mostly about the wrong path -- and what the consequences of that choice is.  To me, this passage ties back to the Good Samaritan passage, in verse six, when Paul talks about God will give to each person according to what they had done.  The story of the Good Samaritan, to me, is about doing, and the celebration of those who do.

 

-- in the second Romans passage, we end the week with a passage that affirms the way to heaven as Jesus Christ -- the idea that one man was sent to the world to deliver many from sin.  Paul poetically weaves in the idea of one man saving the world through obedience with the story of Adam, one man who brought sin into the world through disobedience.  This passage brings our study for the week full circle ---  that salvation in not earned, but comes to us as a gift we can accept, and that once we accept it, we are compelled to respond to it through our actions and care for others.

 

Question for Sunday:  

 

--  we tend to think of the Good Samaritan story is simply one of a stranger helping a stranger, but the backstory is also compelling -- the idea that someone who was generally looked down on by decent society, someone who would be dismissed as inconsequential, is the one who did the right thing, while other respectable members of society moved on out of fear or self-centeredness.  What can we learn from that part of the story?

 

Today's prayer request:    Katrina relief workers

 

We need to remember those, not just in New Orleans and Biloxi and Gulfport, but those that are working in places like Houston and Little Rock and Memphis, where evacuees have gone to and need assistance.

 

Today's class member prayer: 

 

April Walker

Have a great day.

 

Jay

Good Morning - Thursday, September 15, 2005

Good Morning! 

 

The new unit for this week is  Unit 20, The Way to Heaven   

 

Focus Scriptures for the Week:  

 

Hebrews 11:16   

 

They desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God; indeed, he has prepared a city for them.

 

John 12:26

 

Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also.  Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.

 

Today's Scriptures:  1 Peter 4:7-19

 

Today's Discussion: 

 

-- today's scripture has two messages.  The first part is description of how we should live as Christians, and the second portion is encouragment for us during the times of trouble that we will run into for living as Christians.

 

-- as it happens, the passage from Wesley's writings that I read today is a good companion to the scripture reading.  The passage from Wesley that begins "Therefore strive ye now, in this your day . . . " speaks about Christian living in somewhat different, but similar way.  The Wesley passage speaks generally about the fact that living as a Christian will naturally put you in the minority, and put you at odds with society.  Wesley's passage is a play on the scripture regarding the way to heaven, which discusses the way to heaven being a narrow way that only a few will make.  He talks about us being aware of how we are living, and if we are living like everyone else, if we are living life that the culture or society wants us to live -- either out of laziness or peer pressure -- we are likely on the broad way that does not lead to heaven, but instead to the bottomless pit, as he writes.

 

-- however, if we take up the Christian life, if we live as Peter outlines in his scripture, then we are on the right path, the narrow path.  But as Wesley says in his sermon, this is likely to be just a few on the path with us.  But Wesley offers the encouragement that it will be worth it, because once we make it to heaven, the loneliness of the narrow way will be replaced with the wonder of belonging to all those who have gone before to heaven.  Peter offers the encouragement that it is worth it to be criticized or ostracized because of the reward at the end of the journey.

 

-- the main thing for today is encouragement that the way to heaven, the life of a Christian, may seem obvious to us, and as fundamental a thing as there is in the world, isn't in the mainstream.  Both Peter and Wesley want to warn us that you will be in the minority, and likely ridiculed or worse occasionally for being on the way.  But both, in their different ways, lets us know that heaven is not just the end of our journey, but a celebration and reward for our faithfulness to staying on the narrow way.

 

Question for Sunday:  

 

-- have you had a narrow path vs. broad path moment?  - -  a moment where you had to go against the crowd or just a single person and choose to do something different in order to stay on the narrow way?  What were the consequences of that decision?

 

Today's prayer request:    Saundra Aaron

 

Saundra is Valerie's brother's mother-in-law, and she has just found out yesterday from a biopsy that she has breast cancer.  They are going to decide today or tomorrow whether to do radiation or surgery.

 

Today's class member prayer: 

 

Valerie Waters

 

Have a great day.

 

Jay

Good Morning - Wednesday, September 14, 2005

Good Morning! 

 

Note that we need to discuss what our next study will be -- we only have six weeks to go on this one.  Any suggestions, either as to a specific title, or of the type of study?

 

The new unit for this week is  Unit 20, The Way to Heaven   

 

Focus Scriptures for the Week:  

 

Hebrews 11:16   

 

They desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God; indeed, he has prepared a city for them.

 

John 12:26

 

Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also.  Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.

 

Today's Scriptures:  1 Peter 3:13-22   

 

Today's Discussion:   

 

-- the scripture today is one about encourgement and preparation.

 

-- the thing that comes up out of scriptures like this is the idea that being a Christian is a 24/7 job.  I don't think that everyone who comes to Christ understands that originally.  In so many of the other roles we have in our lives, we don't have to be that person all the time.  As an employee, you can usually leave your job at the office when you leave at night.  As a parent, you can leave that role behind when you go to the office, or go off and leave your child with a babysitter.

 

-- sometimes, people believe that they can leave their role as a Christian behind when they leave the church on Sunday.  And that's not to say that they go and live a life of sin on the other days of the week; more likely, they simply set it aside and don't think about it.  But the verses we have been reading, such as today's, indicate that the writer's expectation is that they are giving instruction for daily living, not just Sunday living.  There is an active dimension to being a Christian that we have to grow into understanding and appreciating.

 

-- that is the thing that this class format is intended to help us do, the learn how to exercise our Christian calling every day.  "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope you have" Peter says in this passage, and the assumption, in my mind, is that if you are living daily the life Christ wants you to live, people are going to notice and people are going to ask you about what it is that you have that they don't. 

 

Question for Sunday:  

 

-- look at the people you come into contact with today -- do you notice any of them who are actively living out their Christianity, their faith?

 

Today's prayer request:    Hurricane Katrina evacuees

 

There are so many different people to remember.  Today, let's remember those who had to leave their homes in New Orleans and who are now trying to reestablish their lives in new communities that in many cases they didn't choose -- trying to find jobs, schools, homes and new lives.

 

Today's class member prayer: 

 

Brigitte Severance

 

Have a great day.

 

Jay

Good Morning - Tuesday, September 13, 2005

Good Morning! 

 

The new unit for this week is  Unit 20, The Way to Heaven   

 

Focus Scriptures for the Week:  

 

Hebrews 11:16   

 

They desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God; indeed, he has prepared a city for them.

 

John 12:26

 

Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also.  Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.

 

Today's Scriptures:  John 14:1-7   

 

Today's Discussion:   

 

-- in today's scripture, Jesus is talking to his disciples about heaven, and gives them the assurance that (1) he is the only way to heaven and (2) that if they believe in him, he will prepare a place in heaven for them, will come back for them, and be with them in heaven.

 

--  Jesus also lets them know that there is plenty of room in heaven for all, (my Father's house has many rooms) which indirectly speaks to the idea that God has prepared a plan of salvation for all.

 

-- Wesley's writings for this week so far have a wide range, but generally all touch on the idea of ways that we should respond to our salvation and grow in our faith.  He talks of the Lord's Supper, of spending time alone with scripture, with talking with other believers about questions of faith, and about giving to the poor.

 

-- there are two very poetic and meaningful passages in what I have read so far this week of Wesley --

 

(1) I am a creature of the air, passing through life as an arrow through the air.

 

A very poetic way of expressing the shortness and temporal nature of our lives here on earth.

 

(2)  You will have no reward in heaven for what you lay up; you will, for what you lay out.

 

A nice, memorable turn of phrase in support of giving to others, particularly the poor.

 

Question for Sunday:   

 

-- when reading the line from Wesley about being a "creature of the air", what is your take/feeling about that thought?

 

Today's prayer request:    Our bosses

 

We need to remember our supervisors and manager and others in authority at our places of work.  We need to pray for them to have wisdom, understanding and ethics as they coordinate the work of those they are responsible for.

 

Today's class member prayer: 

 

Christie Peebles

 

Have a great day.

 

Jay

Good Morning - Monday, September 12, 2005

Good Morning! 

 

Good morning from Montgomery.  Good to see all of you on Sunday.   Note that we had some more conversation about the Appalachian Service Project that our class is sponsoring, and I believe we settled on the week of July 23 - July 30, 2006 as our week.   We would working in Lee County, Virginia.  I think that next week there will be a meeting at the church to start recruiting volunteers -- we need at least 7 - 10 for each workgroup.

 

The new unit for this week is  Unit 20, The Way to Heaven   

 

Focus Scriptures for the Week:  

 

Hebrews 11:16   

 

They desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God; indeed, he has prepared a city for them.

 

John 12:26

 

Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also.  Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.

 

Today's Scriptures:  2 Peter 3:11-18   

 

Today's Discussion:   

 

-- just a couple of notes today in the interest of time.

 

-- when I read the title of this unit, my first thought was that we were just repeating what we had studied in last couple of weeks.  It struck me as being old material.  But after reading the Reflections section and the scripture, it became clear to me that this was a different slant, a different topic.  I think that the author makes a very good point in his initial paragraph -- heaven isn't something that we take seriously or talk a lot about.  We talk about being saved a great deal, but we don't really talk about heaven.

 

-- I have a first couple of impressions about this lesson:

 

(1)  we should think of our life with God as a seamless experience, encompassing this life on earth and our life to come.

 

(2)  when we think about it in that way, then that will lead us to live our lives in certain way, a better way, a more faithful way. 

 

The sentence in the Reflections section that really meant something to me is this one:  "As the center of this response (to the gift of salvation) was love for God and love for neighbor that resulted in a balanced holy life that included social and personal holiness"  This week's lesson will be one, I think, about learning how we should respond to salvation.

 

Question for Sunday:   

 

-- what is your vision of heaven?

 

Today's prayer request:    The people of the Gulf Coast. 
 

Things are much better and brighter today than last week, and a lot of that has to do with all the prayer that area and those people are getting.  We need to continue to remember those in particular who have lost someone, or simply don't know where their family members might be.

 

Today's class member prayer: 

 

 Chris Wesson 

 

Have a great day.

 

Jay